Button



Aug. 23, 1932. FORD 1,873,373

BUTTON Filed Aug. 4, 1930 M, MM r M Patented Aug. 23, 1932 v me 1). FORD, F ROSELAND, onmnnro, cnnAnA, ASSIGNQR To unrvnnsnr. sam

FASTENING & BUTTON co PAnY, on n-nrnorr, MICHIGAN, aboruronn'rion or MICHIGAN UTTON Application filed August 4, 1930. Serial No. 472,844. i I

This invention relates to buttons of the .rmg' coat-button type and among other 0bbetter adapted for automatic machine a"- g'tachment and which may be manufactured at a relatively low cost l The nature of the invention may bereadily understood by referring to one illustra- 13 illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In saiddrawing:

ton.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of thebutton the top or shell removed.,.and

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan viewftrom-the plane 3-8 of Fig. 1. Y

The attachment of ring buttons at the place of manufacture of the garment is preterably efiected by automatic machinery for obvious reasons, notwithstanding the fact that later buttons may be detached and reattached by hand for purposes of laundering. The ring coat type of button involves with a number of problems not encountered in othertypes of button, such for example as provision of adequate strength to prevent mutilation in the automatic attaching operation and in other handling or treatment to so which the button may be subjected, such as the inadvertent passing through laundry apparatus, and the necessity of uniformity in position of the eye or ring of the button to insure reliable operation in the attaching machine. These and other qualities are embodied in the illustrative button as will be apparent from the following description.

The illustrative button generally comprises a head in the form of a sheet metal shell 10 and an eye 11 attached thereto with sufiicient firmness and rigidity to insure the maintenance of its perpendicular position relative to the back of thebutton during the passage through the automatic attaching machine. The eye 11, in this instance, is made from adequately stiff wire bent into U- shape with its ends 12 bent so as to lie against the underface of the button head.

The ring or eye in this case is attached to the button by means of a back member 13,

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of the but-- in this case of sheet metal tormed to corre "spond substantially with the undertace of ects anns to provlde an improved v button:

the rounded button head. The extremities of the wire forming the eye pass through an elongated slot 14 (of a size adequate to admit both legs of the wire eyewhen lying closely together) pierced substantially in the center of the back member The back tlve button embodying. the invention and member is'advantageously depressed or off- I set as at low provide a recess. for the ex oo tremities' 12 of the eye 11, such extremities being firmly clamped between the button top and the back member.

After the eye is applied to the back memher, the burrs 16 comprising the metal pierced inwardly in forming the slotted opening 14 are pressed downwardly upon or around portions of the wire which project through .the

. slot, so as temporarily to holdthe eye against displacement in handling and" assembly of the '70 Y button, that is, until after the back member 13 andthe button top are assembled and united. -Atter assembly movement of the eye relative to the button is prevented by the firm clamping of the-extremities 12 between the back 13 and top 10.

. Union of the back member 13 and top 10 is effected in the present instance by turning or curling over their respective margins 17 and 18 after the back 13 has been nestedinside the top 10. This operation is advan tageously performed by a die which thus insures absolute'uniformity of external diameeter of the button, ateature which is very important in attachment by machine. The bead thus formed (see Fig. l) servesnot only to .hold the button partstogether firmly but to provide a nicely rounded edge onthe button which gives the button a substantial appearance. 1

The ends 12 of the eye arein this instance somewhat longer than the distance otthe center of the recess 15 to itsedge and are thereforecurled or bent (seeFig. 2) around the inside of the circular wall of the recess/.05 The additional length of wire. in the afore saidextremities contributes to the firmness with which the eye is clamped between the buttontop and back13. i

;.In addition to the I strength against-3100 crushing contributed by the arched or vconvex shape of the button top and back member 13, the latter may advantageously I be reinforced asat 17 by radial grooves, ribs or corrugations,which in addition have a decorative e efl ect (simulating; a; sunburst design)'-=whi"ch contributes to the sellingqual ity of the button. 7

Th on. av iund iiaceo cth ah tw r qr's ting; i thi ins ei rcmi the. envextop and the nestin g of the top and back members together, provides a space for the attachment of the eye to the button without increasing its e embly; ha e ee asubstanti lly reduced.

h abuto may? of course; ber supcrfilcially dec ra e i yaanyiappnopr ecoating =01? plata ingtian t tonzm -yial .-.be=-embossed=.awith 2 1% decor i ldesig aor; trademark depending '1 upon thesw' shes o the. purchas r.

Obviously the invention :isanot; "liiu litedi to :th .detailsn the illustrative embednnent since these may :be variouslymodified. )More- 4 men i is; not indispensable thatia-ll features 240 of the invention be. used =conjoint1y-is-ince' certain features may advantageouslyibe :em- 'z -ployedz different a combinations.

Having. described my: inventiongl claim:

1. .:A button ot'the chanacteridescribed comcombinations and rsubsaid extremity, the margin of said-top being curled downwardly over the margin of said back member to hold the latter in place.

3. A button of the character described comprising in combination, a convex 7 sheet i metahtop; a sheet metal ,ba'ck memberhaving ia-eentralr recess thereim and aineye'project- .ingfrom said back member and having ext emit esn ssiug thrQa h .s i .-be m gan Lh iugv e e ii said rec s sai back member being in contact with jtheun'derface of said top and'clamping said'extremities in '7 said recess against said button top, said recess being only de ep enough to receive said extremities, whereby the latter are firmly I uh 'dbetween said t0pland saidibackmember. 1 Abuttcmof the: character zdescrihedi comprising.inxcombination,a button top a button .:,eye having attaching extremities, and a back nmembemhaving an; opening through which said eye passes engagingsaidattaching ex- ,tremities sand 7 clamping the ,same i-itirmly :a-gainst saidto button ofifthe character described com prising. =in combination a. sheet metal abutton top, a button eye havingsaniattachingeextrem zity, and; a sheet metalback member having radial reinforcing ribs seated inside said top aand engagingosaid extremities. 6. A buttonot the-characterdescribed comprising. in-combination, a sheet metalbutton top, a buttoneye having an attachingvextremaity and: a sheet. metal back member :having -rad-ial reinforcing ribs-seated inside said top sand engaging said extremities; the marginoi' 1 ,said top beingcurle'd downward ly over the -=mar'gin;.of. said; back member to hold the-lat- .ter.in='place. 7 3

\witness' of. the zforegoing ll aifix m ysigmature. v 1 5 'IBA 1D. BFOBD. 1

an-eye. andhavingianlattachingwextremity, .a 1

- .met'al atop; andra sheet metal: back i member, said top and back i'mem-ber conforming in 7 :60V shapels o that said. back member; IIIQStS inside saidi topand: being formed to, provide a cenitltll' recess; in which. said. extremity is seate'd,

v said recess being only :deep enough to receive said extremity; theemargins ot said; top and a back member being curled together tohold the same together. and to clamp sai-'d extrem- ."ity firm-lybetween the top and back member.

2. *A metal buttonof the JOhaL'aCt/BI' described comprising in vcombination, a {sheet all) :metal button top, a W-ire button eyejhaving the ends of the Wire bent at an angle to the 1 plane of: the eye to 'provi de anattaching ex: itremity, and a sheetmetal back member havv ing a recess in which said extremityis seated, 2 05 sa-idrecessbeingonly deep enough to receive 

